Man accused of using AI to impersonate Maryland principal indicted on child pornography, exploitation charges
BALTIMORE -- A man accused of using artificial intelligence (AI) to impersonate a former principal was indicted on federal child pornography and exploitation charges, the U.S. Attorney's Office said Thursday.
Prosecutors said Dazhon Darien, 32, coerced a minor male to engage in sexually explicit conduct to produce and transmit abuse material. He is also accused of enticing two additional minor males into prohibited sexual conduct.
According to court documents, Darien used CashApp to pay a minor to send videos of himself between December 2023 and March 2024. A search of Darien's phones and online accounts revealed child sex abuse material, according to court documents. He allegedly stored child sexual abuse material in internet accounts and on a digital device, according to prosecutors.
He is charged with five counts of sexual exploitation of a child, two counts of coercion and enticement of a child, one count of receipt of child sexual abuse material, and four counts of possession of child sexual abuse material.
Darien was arrested during an unrelated court hearing on Jan. 27.
Alleged principal impersonation
In Maryland, Darien is accused of creating an AI-generated recording that impersonated former principal Eric Eiswert making derogatory statements about Black students and the Jewish community.
The recording, which spread widely on social media, was analyzed by FBI-contracted experts who found evidence of artificial intelligence generation combined with human-edited background noise.
Police say Darien, who was Pikesville High School's former athletic director, created the fraudulent recording in retaliation after Eiswert initiated an investigation into the potential mishandling of school funds.
The trial, originally scheduled for January 28, has been postponed, according to The Baltimore Banner.
Darien is charged with disturbing school operations, retaliating against a witness, and stalking.
Framed principal files lawsuit
Eiswert filed a lawsuit against Baltimore County Public Schools for removing him from his position over the AI-generated recording, despite it being proven to be fabricated.
The lawsuit, filed in early January, alleges that Darien conspired with other school system employees to frame Eiswert. Eiswert has since taken a new position as principal of Sparrows Point Middle School in June 2024.
An investigation by the Baltimore Banner revealed that Darien had used false resumes to obtain positions within Baltimore County Public Schools. A school system official told the Banner that standard hiring protocols, including background checks, fingerprinting, transcript reviews, and reference checks, were followed during Darien's hiring process.
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